


RWBY: Unbroken

by GodRealm



Series: RWBY: Unbroken [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Character Death, Multi, Romantic Comedy, Slow Romance, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:48:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24244543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GodRealm/pseuds/GodRealm
Summary: Salem has declared war on Remnant. Now, the remaining Huntsman and Huntresses are all that stand to defy her in hopes of seeing a tomorrow. Light against dark. Good against evil. Will Ruby and co. lose sight of their goals, or will they persevere and stand before their enemies united and unbroken? Better summary to come later. Lancaster fic with a tragic undertone. Rated M.
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Ruby Rose
Series: RWBY: Unbroken [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1750021
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9
Collections: RWBY, RWBY Favorites





	1. Segentation

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! After a nice break, time storyboarding, and reviewing your poll results, I decided it was time to get back into the swing of things. I missed writing and using it as a way to vent while doing something (somewhat) proactive. Being an "essential worker" isn't all it's cracked up to be.
> 
> As you can tell by the title, "Unbroken" was the next story chosen and I'm happy most chose that. I wanted it to be my big project to help develop any skills I had. While I enjoyed Operation: Attack RWBY (O:AR), it was more of a small (100K word) project for fun. This story will be a direct continuation of the story we have so far up to and including the end of volume 7. That being said, I am leaving the poll open for those who did not know about it. I would like your help in choosing the next O:AR Universe story. If possible I would like to work on these two stories concurrently to break up some monotony and to see what I am capable of. This is all subject to change of course.
> 
> If you know my style, you know I have one particular ship that will be a constant in my stories. The others are not guaranteed, though they will influence my hand. Although, plan for a darker undertone with more tragedy than comedy. You have been warned. This story will be more action-oriented compared to my previous work and longer. As for a release schedule… that's tentative as well. I'm going to try and use all my extra time to commit myself to this.
> 
> Lastly, this story, along with probably all my stories, will be rated M. It makes it a little easier for my style and the flow of the narrative. As always, expect a little OOC, but I will try and stay true to the characters. Eventually, there will be additional characters that I plan to add as OC characters into the story just to help it along and also work in characters that have been introduced in RWBY, but we have little to no information on (i.e. personalities, semblances, etc.). Unfortunately, that means I'll have to wing it.
> 
> That all being said please enjoy this (short) prologue into what should be expected. Please let me know what you think and how you may see things playing out. Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- GodRealm
> 
> Italicized – Thoughts and Emphasis
> 
> Bold – Author Notations/Grimm howls & attacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! I'd like to thank everyone for looking into my (short) prologue. So, as you can see, this is picking up right from where Volume 7 left off. I keep my projects quiet and try and keep spoiler-free. It's why I left the prologue for you all to establish the scene. Now, just FYI, what you saw will be re-visited, but for now, there's a little bit of a jump. There's a reason I swear!
> 
> The Exiled Darkness – You would be correct. As stated above, this is picking right up from the canonical entries of the story. I wanted to undertake a long project. Lancaster doesn't get enough longer stories. The "movie-like format" was just something I wanted to do to create a special kind of intro. Cheesy, but fun! Yes, you'll see how it progresses. I want to approach this with the respect it deserves.
> 
> Please enjoy and I hope I meet the expectations of many of the readers. As always, please review the rating system as needed. This story is rated M so as to not surprise anyone!
> 
> \- GodRealm
> 
> Italicized – Thoughts and Emphasis
> 
> Bold – Author Notations/Grimm howls & attacks

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**Arc I: Receptum**

_Chapter I: Segmentation_

_~Sometime after the Prologue~_

Dr. Arthur Watts considered himself a smart man. For that reason, he remained silent during times of immense stress as to not exacerbate a situation. Instead, he would hold his words and ensure to keep himself out of the line of fire. To him, self-preservation was the only thing that mattered and with what was going on in front of him, it was probably the shrewdest thing he could do.

As he stood in General Ironwood's office, he offered very little to the topic at hand being discussed. It wasn't really his problem and he wasn't about to make it his problem either. Though with all that being said, he did relish in his own failures. His former comrade-in-arms, James Ironwood had "bested" him as _she_ had declared earlier. Who would have thought that James would have gone to such lengths to stop him? Not he, that's for sure.

Watts rubbed his bruised face that was finally beginning to heal. It was a testament to the brawl he was involved in not so much earlier. One he would not soon forget. Flanked to his right, sitting on the office floor with an always-maniacal smile on his face, was his current associate, Tyrian Callows. Tyrian wasn't exactly a man that Watts held in high regard. While they were allies unified under _her_ faction, the man was clearly deranged. He often gave thought as to _why_ he had been recruited him into their ranks. A rational thought process wasn't something he was capable of.

But, that doesn't mean he didn't produce results. He was a very capable fighter despite those previous thoughts and had surprised him on a few occasions. One time in particular, was about an hour ago when he arrived at the cell Watts was being held within Atlas. To say he was shocked was an understatement, but his arrival was very much welcomed. It wasn't much longer after that he was briefed on what had happened during his absence. Namely, the destruction in Mantle, the death of Clover along with the detainment of his fellow Ace Operatives, and _her_ arrival in Atlas were the main points.

Things were looking up from that point. Shortly after, Watts was able to continue his "technical takeover" of both Atlas and Mantle. The soldiers that were once programmed to ensure the safety and security of all citizens were now under his control, and in turn, belonged to _her_. But he didn't stop there. Taking over the defenses that were not destroyed by the army of invading Grimm, he had turned Atlas into a fortress he intended to defend. No army at any point would be able to break through, and even if they did, he had hostages of Atlas now that Ironwood was so kind as to re-locate so many from Mantle.

Yes, with this string of victories, you would figure Arthur Watts would be feeling a little more optimistic than his previous situation, but that wasn't the case. Why? Well, because of the scene before him.

"Get up." A voice commanded. It wasn't just any voice. It belonged to _her_.

Before Watts and Tyrian was their de facto leader, Salem, in the flesh. She sat at what was previously General Ironwood's desk with her hands folded in front of her face as if praying. Her normal scowl was present as her eyes were narrowed, concentrated on the figure before her, collapsed in front of the desk.

Tyrian continued to smile at Cinder Fall's misfortune as she lay on the floor, visibly battered for lack of a better term. Her breaths were erratic as she was attempted to no success at to regain her composure. She reached to push herself up from the prone position she was currently in, arms shaking and all. Her strength was all but exterminated after her most recent report to her superior.

She had returned empty-handed. The relic she had obtained from Neo? It was gone to say the least. On top of that, the Winter maiden had successfully transferred her power to someone else, namely, the same robot she thought destroyed at the Vytal festival years ago. Lastly, she had seen defeat once more at the hands of their enemies. After all the planning Cinder had gone through, all the hardships she had endured, and after finally arriving in Atlas, she had nearly nothing to show for it. To say this hurt her pride would be an understatement. In fact, her internal displeasure was worse than the external pain she had been receiving for said disappointments.

But, as she was commanded, she made her way to her feet. Still panting and spaghetti-legged she rose to meet her leader's eyes. The tension in the air could be sliced with a knife.

"Good." Salem spoke again. "I was afraid you were finally broken."

Cinder took her time before responding, being sure to compose herself to the best of her capability. "It will take more than that to break me." She gritted in defiance of such an accusation.

"Indeed." Salem remarked. "But still," She paused as she dropped her hands from the desk and continued to stare at Cinder's frail form. "your failures continue to pile up one after another. It's almost as if that is your main contribution to this team now."

Cinder's eyes narrowed at the claim but she bit her tongue in response. She had no defense of her own against what Salem had stated. Her self-image hadn't been this bad since-

"Yes," Tyrian mused from the floor a few feet from where Cinder was standing. "you keep finding ways to flop."

Cinder turned to him slowly, being sure to stare into his "dead eyes" as she had deemed them, all while he had a smile plastered to his face, sitting cross-legged now. "But hey," He continued. "at least you didn't lose any appendages or disfigure yourself further this time." He finished, letting out a delirious laugh.

"For someone missing his tail, you sure talk a big game." She replied attempting to remain unfazed by his insults.

Tyrian unfastened his tail from around his waist and pointed the sharp end of the tail in her direction, almost threatening. She didn't blink as it came within a short distance of her, but rather, remained glued to his conniving smile.

"Oh?" He questioned. "Perhaps you'd like to see the new improvement Arthur made me?"

"I'll rip it from your body just like the last one." She responded with a blank expression.

"Just promise not to use that scary arm of yours when you try." He replied, pointing to the dangling sleeve over Cinder's left arm.

This seemed to irritate Cinder as her face formed into a deeper glare now. The arm was her foremost reminder of the first failure she experienced at Beacon and began her string of bad luck. Tyrian remained seated as they continued to stare-off at each other. With her condition, she would not be able to take him. He was fresh and he was ready.

Watts continued to listen but offer no verbiage to his two associates bickering. He remained focused on Salem and her growing irritation present on her face at the scene before her. With how this was going, it surely wouldn't be long until she-

"Enough!" Salem announced as she stood from her seat at the desk. "We're getting off track now."

Salem stepped away from the desk and looked out the window behind her. From there, she could see the policing of her new Atlesian soldiers with the citizens, the looks on their faces a combination of fear and confusion. Watts' ability to override ironwood's security system and then his own soldiers would prove to be most beneficial to holding the city.

The buildings of the surrounding area had dying fires from the attack she herself had provided upon arrival. For the most part, things were under control now. Of course there was a body count though. Citizens and huntsman/huntresses that were senseless to challenge her army of Grimm or herself were put down. As with many things, death was an unavoidable part of what she had to do to accomplish her _goals_.

Her introspection of what had happened ended as she returned to the tasks at hand. With the three behind her now quiet and attention returning to herself, she turned to meet the gaze of her subordinates.

"We need the maiden and we need the other relic that was taken back from Cinder." She stated, causing Cinder to clench her fist at the ending remark. "As such, that will be our next move before anything else."

"What are our orders?" Watts finally spoke.

Salem remained quiet for a moment as she closed her eyes and began to think over the situation. The group of would-be heroes could have gone anywhere at this point. On top of that, she could not leave Atlas and Mantle unwatched even with her new army of super soldiers. Her new acquisition would prove useful down the line.

Salem opened her eyes to look at the three before her. Of them, only Tyrian seemed suitable for combat currently, but that wasn't enough. No, for this, she would have to bring out the reserves.

"Watts," She spoke, garnering his full attention. "get me in contact with Hazel."

"Of course." He replied with a small bow.

Tyrian's smile faded from his face as he heard the words. "You're sending him instead?" He nearly spat. Tyrian still hadn't forgotten his most previous encounter with _that bitch_ and wasn't about to let Hazel take his prey.

"No." She replied, causing all three to raise an eyebrow at her response. "I am sending **them.** " She finished with a small smile.

It took Tyrian a moment to think of what his leader meant before he realized exactly what she was talking about. "Ohhhh~"

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Ruby felt the slight breeze tickle her nose. The brisk environment enveloping her and sending a small chill down her spine as her eyes slowly opened. She groaned slightly at the unwelcomed and cold contact that was hitting her. She was apparently moving at a steady pace in the middle of what appeared to be an open field of snow in the nighttime hours.

She felt achy and tired for some reason, usually after a combat session or training, but couldn't quite determine much right now. She had been dreaming of a warmer place, surrounded by many of her friends, and what seemed like a cookie eating contest? It was a good dream to say the least. But now, she was here. She was cold, exhausted, and being carried.

_Carried?_

That's when realization was returning to her more and more.

"You're finally awake?" A voice asked her.

That wasn't an unfamiliar voice. It was coming from the one she was being carried by and by the looks of it, the only one around currently.

"J-Jaune?" She mumbled.

She was well-aware now. Her head was rested on his left shoulder as her arms were dangling over his chest. He had each of her legs hooked under his arms and had used some sort of cloth to secure her as to make sure she did not fall backward.

"Hey, Rubes." He responded, continuing to trek through the snow.

"Wh-Where are we? What happened?" She asked.

She listened to Jaune mouth-breathe as he pushed on, a tell-tale sign that his body was also exhausted, much like hers. He was sweating and had to catch his breath every few steps. But he managed to get out words as best he could.

"Salem." He answered. "Salem happened, Ruby."

As almost by trigger words, the previous happenings returned to her mind. Ruby remembered it all. She recalled her fight with the Ace-Ops, escaping Atlas, and then Salem's arrival at the end. That's where things got complicated. Their attempted assault on Salem and her forced proved to be overwhelming to say the least. She remembered being swarmed by the enemy attacks on their airship that they acquired and then the Grimm Salem was riding in on causing massive devastation.

Ruby felt her pulse rise and her head begin to spin as the previous stress of the situation seemed to be returning full-speed. Her uneasy breathing was starting to sound more like Jaune's as he kept moving. He knew all too well what was happening in the head of his friend as his words continued to plague her.

The airship crashing to the ground and the continued attack by the Wyvern and even Nevermore Grimm had caused the group to split up in an attempt to thin out the herd of enemies. It was a valiant attempt, but it had devastating results. Ruby recalled fighting the countless opponents with a barrage of offensive maneuvers all while keeping mobile as she often did.

The combat lasted long and after continuing to fight, exhaustion set in. And with exhaustion, comes carelessness. That carelessness came in the form of not checking behind herself and being attacked by a Beringel. To be fair, with her concentration on the flying adversaries, one may not think about the aggressors on the ground. But, what happened cannot be changed. The occurrence was definitely the reason for her body aches after it swatted her across the forest they were once fighting in and knocked her into a tree at frightening speed, shattering her aura. Not so soon she recalled passing out from pain and fatigue.

But how did she escape that impending doom? Had Jaune saved her? That appeared to be the most probable answer. These questions weren't as important as the other question lingering on her mind.

"Jaune," She began. "where are the others?"

Jaune finished ascending another small, snow-covered hill as he continued to put distance between themselves and the crash site that was in their rearview now. His breathing still labored as he kept his eyes on the set of trees in the distance that he hoped would be able to give them enough cover to take a short break.

"Jaune!" Ruby attempted again after he ignored her.

"I don't know, Ruby." He replied honestly. "To be completely open with you, just about everyone got separated during the onslaught. When I saw you on the ground, I didn't really get much of a chance to find everyone."

She didn't like his response, but she knew he wasn't about to lie to her and say "everything is fine". This didn't stop her from attempting to pry herself from his back in an attempt to stand on her own. Her attempt left him off-balance and staggering wildly.

"H-Hey!" Jaune protested. "Knock that off, Ruby!"

"I can't leave them back there! My team and our friends! They need our help." She continued to move about wildly causing his grip on her to tighten in response.

"Ruby, you can't fight in your condition!" He argued. "And to be honest, neither can I. Ig we try and go back there, we're just going to get ourselves killed."

"But-"

"But nothing!" He yelled.

Ruby finally relaxed in his grip as he turned around to have a look back from where they came. It gave Ruby a full view of just exactly what was going on. In the distance, beyond the clearing they had been trekking through, was a clearing of trees that had a small fire rising from within, most likely from their crashed airship. That wasn't what caught her attention though. It was the continued influx of Grimm that were flocking to that location, no doubt looking for any sign of life.

To Jaune's credit, he had gotten them a fair distance away from the place of their fight in an unknown amount of time.

"We can't fight that, Ruby." He spoke again. "And I refuse to lose you or anyone else to a senseless battle if I can help it."

His words rang in her head for a few moments as he turned back around to continue walking, once again advancing towards the next thicket of trees.

"You're smarter than that, Ruby. You're going to be the one that leads us out of this." Jaune finally finished.

During a time of unsettling, his words were welcomed, though they did little to alleviate her lingering thoughts of the rest of her tem and everyone else involved in the crash. Her hopes were that they also made off away from where they made an impact and were unharmed.

"I hope they're safe is all." Ruby spoke.

"Me too." Jaune replied. "But, I have faith in them."

"For sure." She replied, a smile now grazing her face. _I won't let this be the end._ She thought.

The two team leaders remained in a small silence for few moments as Jaune finally cleared the first set of trees. Ruby took notice of the dark forest that was in front of them and with any luck, a place where they could take their time to lick their wounds of war.

"I sure hope there's somewhere to rest coming up." Jaune spoke.

"Need a break?" She asked.

"Yeah, a little one." He answered. "Plus you're heavier than you look." He laughed a little to himself.

"What?..."

His laugh turned to a bunch of yelping as he was then attacked by the returning strength of the petite redhead. She was small, but she packed a punch.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, Chapter 1 is complete. Somber mood but a little to smile at the end. Hope you all enjoyed and I plan to update again soon with longer installations hopefully! Be sure to stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!
> 
> Next Chapter: Chapter 2 – On the Move
> 
> \- GodRealm


	2. On the Move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Thanks for coming back. I'm trying to cut down on these A/N's but I actually have an announcement to make here this time. Those who have read my other story and enjoyed it should be happy to hear that for my submission to the "9 Days of Lancaster" event coming, I will be submitting the story that was actually voted as the next installment to that AU, "Double Date". I'm extremely happy for your votes, as this is what I wanted to work on next.
> 
> The Exiled Darkness – FIRST OF ALL, I love Watts! I tried to do him justice as best I could. Yeah, I wanted Tyrian to get a few more jabs in on Cinder as well. I enjoyed that the first time we saw them. As for Neo, guess you'll have to see. I don't do spoilers, haha. Thank you, I was hesitant at first, but I need to establish them in my story, so this focuses on them individually.
> 
> Drago lord Syed 101 – Welcome back! There's a name I recognize. Thank you, hope you continue to enjoy it. It's a vast contrast compared to my last work.
> 
> Seem14 – Yeah, I figured the prologue might turn a few people off, but I imagined he was already separated and in Mantle to see the carnage better than most. As for the hair gel, that's a good grab. I might have to use that. As a man of gel, I can picture that struggle.
> 
> OKAY! As always, please be aware of the rating system. This story is rated M for Mature (which I am not). Also, this has been moved to the Lancaster community on, "To the Socially Awkward", which I was graciously given a role in. Please read and if you see fit, leave a review at the end. Thanks again!

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**Arc I: Receptum**

_Chapter II: On the Move_

Lie Ren cursed his stamina. While he had trained from his early days at Beacon to try and build up what little endurance he had, little had translated to improvement. None the less he continued running as fast and as far as his tired legs would take him. The crash had separated him from the others and the attack from the invading Grimm had not made things any easier. He was left disoriented and forced to fight without much recourse. With that being said, he knew from experience when it was time to withdrawal his efforts.

While separated, he still heard the attacks of his comrades in their feeble attempt to ward off the onslaught they were undergoing. The Grimm had been relentless in chasing them all down. This was undoubtedly due to the arrival of Salem. Whether they were ordered to or be it their own will, it didn't take the group long to know they were unmatched.

Ren's thoughts lingered on his teammates currently as he ducked under a low branch and continued his sprint forward. He had not seen or heard from either Jaune or Nora after their descent much to chagrin. Even over the howls and screeches of their enemies he was still able to make out most of Team RWBY communicating amongst each other which made him less tense, but not being able to hear their voices unsettled him. But he couldn't think of such things currently. He needed to survive now so that he could find them… find _her_.

He checked behind himself as he ran to see if he had lost his pursuers, to which he was disappointed. While the numbers had dwindled to what seemed to only be two Beowulf, the depletion of Ren's aura was cause for concern. He had fought long enough and taken enough damage to break it and without a chance to rest, there wasn't much chance of him regenerating it. Even with him putting much distance between himself and the impact site, he was still stuck in the middle of the dark forest with the only illumination being the fire that ignited from the crash behind him.

He coughed as the strong odor and taste of the smoke still loitered within his pharynx, only adding to his exhaustion. Meanwhile, he could hear the growls of his enemies becoming louder. It was becoming more apparent by the moment that he would not be outrunning them or masking himself with his aura. As he leaped over another bushel of greenery and snow, he reached for his weapons from his waist. His Stormflower had seen much actin tonight and if he wanted to see daybreak, he would need them again.

As the growls closed in from behind him, Ren took the initiative to dive to the right after passing a great oak tree in time to miss a swipe from a claw. He began firing his duel pistols at the attacking Grimm, stunning it in the process as it howled in pain. His attack was short-lived however, as another pursuing Beowulf leaped at him from behind. Hearing it approach him, he rolled backward as the assailant landed on the spot he was previous. Wasting no time as the creature turned to face him, Ren made a quick slash with the dagger ends of his weapons slicing its eyes. The screech that emanated from the pain was near deafening as it shook in an attempt to self-soothe.

Taking advantage of the creature's blindness, Ren shoved both pistols into its mouth, wedging them beyond the monster's teeth. As it began to tug wildly to try and break away, Ren began firing as much ammo as possible down its throat. Ren let out a warrior's yell as the creature began to be ripped apart from the inside. As he felt its resistance stop, Ren un-wedged the weapons and leaped onto a tree branch as the body of the one-enemy fell to the ground, lifeless.

He caught his breath momentarily as the third Beowulf came into view. Almost on cue, the new attacker charged the tree Ren had taken asylum on, causing a loss in balance.

"Shit." Ren wheezed.

Attempting to regain his footing was useless as the power of the Beowulf was enough to up-root the tree completely, sending it to the ground. Ren was forced to tuck and roll before taking off again in an uncertain direction, with the Beowulf still hot on his trail. As he continued his dash, he took the time to reload his weapons after using most of his ammunition previously on the last enemy. After his chambers were reset, he was ready to begin another assault.

Before he could strategize another on-the-fly plan, he found himself clearing the last grouping of trees for the forest and reaching what appeared to be a frozen lake. Hearing the approaching enemy gaining on him, he didn't have time to ponder the next move and began taking off onto the ice without another thought. Not a moment later, the Beowulf leaped from the woods and landing on the ice as well, causing its weight to create cracks beneath it.

Ren took note of this as he turned around to face his opponent. A short stare-down ensued as both the Beowulf and Ren panted.

"Come and get me." Ren barked as the creature took off in his direction. Ren did the same, running to meet his opponent head-on. As the gap closed, Ren began firing a few shots beneath him before the creature made a leap for him. As the creature began its descent, Ren ducked under the attack and slid under the back end of the Beowulf completely. As a result, the Beowulf's full weight crashed down on the area Ren had fired on before it turned around and howled at him.

Ren, now smiling, only watched as the cracks grew larger from where the enemy was standing before the ice completely gave way and the creature plummeted into the icy water below its feet. It attempted without hope to claw its way up back onto the ice, but the surrounding ice also gave way and the weight of the Beowulf worked against itself. It descended into the lake soon after, bubbles seizing subsequently.

Once again, Ren's break was cut short as the original attacking Beowulf made its way onto the icy battlefield from behind him, after recovering from being stunned earlier. Ren heard it and sighed deeply as he readied himself for another round. The distance would hopefully prove to be in his favor as he raised his weapons at the last of the enemies. The Beowulf took off towards him just as the previous one had. Ren began firing in its direction to slow the monster's pace, but it had learned from the previous encounter, dodging the shots and keeping mobile. The Beowulf pushed closer as it began circling Ren, exhausting his ammunition in the process.

Ren's frustration was growing as he tried to down the beast without getting to close, but his balance on the ice partnered with the agility of his enemy was proving to be a great challenge. As the beast continued its circular path, Ren heard his guns 'click', signifying the end of his clip of dust. His eyes widened in horror as he went to reach for more. The Beowulf's strategy had worked, as it made a direct charge for Ren, capitalizing on the opportunity. Ren was unable to refill his weapons at this time as he gritted his teeth in response. He had been outplayed.

Readying his weapons in a defensive stance, daggers out, he awaited the beast to lunge, and lunge it did. Ren was taking a chance, but there wasn't much option as it was. Using a similar strategy as with the last Beowulf, he slid under his attacker, but this tie reached up with both hands and dug the daggers into the creature's underbelly. The assailant howled as it attempted to shake Ren off. Ren was slammed multiple times into the unkind ice beneath him, but would not relent. Instead, he used his own weight to his advantage and dragged the daggers further down the Beowulf's abdomen before dislodging at the creature's lower half.

Ren lay on the ground for a moment, his head pounding from the impact. He would be lucky to not have a concussion at this point. He peeked through one eye as he panted once more, trying to see his opponent. The Beowulf turned towards him, weakly, as it struggled to keep its balance. Ren grunted in frustration as it remained on its feet after that attack. Slowly, the sharp-toothed beast limped in his direction. Ren rolled to his stomach slowly, exhausted from the ongoing assault. Sluggishly, he was able to move himself to one knee, coughing up ash while doing so. He raised both arms defiantly, readying himself for possible death from the claws or being devoured.

Before he could think any further on impending doom, the red from the Beowulf's eyes faded and it slumped over on the ice motionless. Ren kept his arms raised and weapons drawn for a few moments in his opponent's direction in disbelief before dropping them completely. He collapsed down to both knees as he looked up to the night's sky, breathing at a tachypneic rate. The sweat dripped from his forehead as he kneeled there after a lengthy, vexing battle for his own life. If he made it out of this alive, pancakes were definitely on his menu for the next meal.

He took a moment to regain what composure he could. The bruises that were forming on the posterior portion of his body were not going to heal until his aura returned. What he would give to have Jaune's aura amplification to help with the pain. The ice did little to reduce the swelling he was undoubtedly experiencing already. He needed to get out of this icy hell and make it somewhere safer for now though.

As he eased himself to his feet, Ren examined the former battlefield around him. The chaos had somehow not attracted more enemies, but he wasn't complaining in the least bit. With a heavy sigh, he began moving himself to the other side of the ice closest to him. What happened next was most unexpected.

Even with surveying the ground, Ren couldn't have expected another attack. This time it was coming from below the ice. The shattering of the ground behind him made Ren turn and meet the eyes of the Beowulf he had just trapped under the ice moments earlier.

 _Oh no._ He thought to himself in disbelief.

Ren endeavored to raise his weapons again, still without ammunition in the aftermath of the last fight, but the Beowulf was too fast. Within a few seconds, the beast powered into Ren, sending him flying across the ice to the edge of the tree line he was heading for. He cursed himself again as he doubled over in pain. He clutched at his chest, the source of the impact he had just taken full force. He didn't have time to concentrate on that though, as the returning attacker began its assault in his direction. Ren searched around for his weapons that had flown from his person and were nowhere to be found.

He looked back at the Beowulf who was within striking range now and he was without his weapons to defend himself. The time felt slower as he awaited the end. He didn't know whether to close his eyes or not for this final attack. His mind traveled back to the last few years. His acceptance to Beacon, meeting his team, the loss of Pyrrha, the return to Kuroyuri, and his first kiss with _her_. His mind stayed there longest as he reveled in it, thinking it to be the last time as the Beowulf launched itself airborne at Ren, just as they all had before. He raised his right hand to feel his cold lips as he did his best to be strong.

"Nora," He spoke. "I'm sorry."

As the beast came crashing down on him, Ren saw a glint of something fly from his left side and pierce itself into the Beowulf, causing its directional path and momentum to miss Ren, landing slightly behind him on the ground. Ren turned haphazardly to look at the beast that was now motionless in the snow-ridden greenery feet behind him. He had been saved, but by who? He stared at the sharp object that pierced the beast and recognized it immediately.

 _Gambol Shroud_? He thought.

Before he could think further, the blade was dislodged from the Beowulf and sent flying back in the direction it had come from. Ren turned his head slowly to his left and watched it retract back towards the person, or rather, Faunus, who was holding the weapon. A smile overcame him as she made her way towards his disheveled figure.

"Ren!" Blake yelled as she arrived at his sloped over body against a tree. "Thank Oum, I found you."

He continued his smile as her voice was a welcomes surprise, especially after saving him from a careless mistake.

"Yeah, not a moment too soon I'd say." He replied weakly before coughing away from Blake's direction.

She looked him over from top to bottom as her ears drooped shortly from her head, a frown following after. He was not in good shape. The damage was visible all over his body and she suspected internal injuries as well. It was only by some miracle she had escaped her assailants and saw him from across the icy lake as the Beowulf emerged from the ice.

She had been separated shortly after the crash from everyone and was forced to fight her way throughout the forest. Luckily, her aura had remained intact and had less wear and tear from her previous fights as compared to the soft-spoken man before her.

"Blake, have you seen anyone else?" Ren asked after his coughing fit.

She took a moment to think, still distracted by Ren's appearance and recollecting her thoughts from the crash until now.

"No." She replied blankly. "After the crash, I heard voices, but I couldn't tell whose they were. The Grimm were too distracting. I'm sorry."

Ren closed his eyes and sighed heavily once more as he had been. Arching his back against the tree he was now against, he remained silent for a few moments. The awkwardness was a lot for Blake at the time. She knew he was worried about Jaune and Nora just like she was worried about the rest of her team. She gripped her weapon tightly as her thoughts consumed her with her face reflecting this. Why did they all have to be separated? Why had Salem shown herself in person? What was that _thing_?

She was once again dragged from her thoughts as she heard Ren cough, swearing she saw blood drip from his mouth this time. They needed to-

"Blake," Ren began. "We need to get out of here. It isn't safe."

"My thoughts exactly." She replied.

Blake knelt down closely to Ren and lifted his left arm over her shoulder. He readied himself for the oncoming pain as she lifted him to his feet, bearing most of his weight on her figure. This was the only way he was going to get anywhere and they both knew it. Once he was stabilized, he let out more gasping breaths much to both of their displeasure. She looked at him, and he to her before he gave the 'go-ahead' nod that he was ready to move. As they moved, Ren noticed his weapons on the ground beside the presumed deceased Beowulf that Blake had saved him from. Without any words, she dropped him down to retrieve his property.

After grabbing them from the snow, Ren was proactive in reloading the dust cartridges in the weapons before they advanced further. Without any words again, Ren took the time to turn from their course and unload a few rounds into the skull of the now confirmed deceased Grimm. Blake looked at him inquisitively before he returned her glance with a raised eyebrow of his own.

"Just… double-checking."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Jaune couldn't be happier right now. Well, he could, but this worked too. After continuing their trek through the wooded area of their own, He had reached a quaint, but decrypted, cabin before him and Ruby. She was still on his back, even after his rude comment some time ago. He had refused to let her attempt to walk until they knew that they were safe and without any enemies attacking them as of recent, along with this new discovery, maybe things were starting to look up.

He advanced on the cabin before him, feeling his own tiredness continuing to overtake him with each step. Before he knew it, he was stepping on the creaking wood of the porch before the doorway. Ruby roused from her sleep as she heard the noise.

"Is that a cabin?" She asked.

"Sure is," Jaune commented. "It looks empty too. It might be the perfect place to finally take our time to rest."

"Do you think there are cookies in there?"

"I wouldn't hold my breath on that."

He could hear the audible groan emanating from the girl on his back at the quick response he offered her. Jaune pushed the door open after twisting the knob, showing it to be unlocked. As it squeaked open slowly, the darkness of the inside became slightly clearer with the moonlight helping the pair's vision. Without much hesitation, Jaune took a step into the cabin and looked around.

It was a small, one-room space with what appeared to be a fireplace that had been unused for some time. Nearby was a couch with a blanket drooped over it. In the far corner appeared to be a small kitchenette with a stove and some cabinets along with a tiny refrigerator. Aside from that, adjacent was a wooden tablet and four older wooden chairs. Ruby pictured it much to the size of her once dorm, but with the style of a studio apartment. On the other side of the room was a door that both presumed to be the restroom as there wasn't much left to the imagination with this place. In any case, it was somewhere safe that beat being out in the cold.

"Ruby," Jaune spoke, garnering her attention. "I'm going to put you down over on the couch."

"Sounds good, Jaune." She replied with a smile.

Jaune then made his way over to the couch as quickly as possible. He circled to the front of it before he bent forward so that Ruby could plop onto the cushions. Once he felt the weight from his back fall, he stood erect once more.

Ruby sighed as she felt the comfortable sensation under her and moved herself to the left side of the couch to lean on the armrest. It wasn't much but it would do for now. She sighed in relief before looking over at the knight. He was stretching and rubbing his shoulders next to her. She narrowed her eyes at him as he turned to face her.

"Sorry for being so heavy." She pouted, puffing her cheeks and crossing her arms.

Jaune chuckled to himself as he finished stretching out and plopped himself on the other side of the small of the couch.

"Stop being a brat." He continued laughing to himself.

The sound of Crescent Rose being unsheathed and opening in all of its glory was the next sound he heard as his eyes bulged open in response.

"Who's a brat?"

"Did I say brat? I meant awesome!" He tried feebly, waving his hands in front of his face.

Ruby left her narrowed eyes on him as she replaced Crescent Rose on the side of the couch and coughed to herself. Jaune closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief at her response.

 _Don't comment on a woman's weight. Got it._ He thought to himself.

Jaune looked over to Ruby who was staring at the fireplace without many expressions. He looked over as well and saw the firewood next to it as he got an idea. He stood quickly and made his way to the firewood and grabbed a few pieces as she watched him. He placed them all in an opening within the fireplace with a satisfied look on his face.

"What are you doing, Jaune?" Ruby inquired.

He looked back at her with a smile and a thumb up. "Starting a fire." He replied before turning back to the task at hand.

"You have something to start it with?" She asked.

Jaune stopped himself for a moment as he finished placing the wood where he thought was appropriate. The expression on his face said it all. He felt like an idiot as his face paled slightly and he felt a nervous sweat. He looked back at Ruby with flushed cheeks and laughed slightly as he rubbed the back of his head.

She giggled in response before lifting Crescent Rose again towards the direction of the fireplace, much to Jaune's confusion.

"Watch out real quick." Ruby commented as she cocked the barrel to her weapon.

"You're not going to-"

Before he could finish his comment, Ruby fired a shot into the fireplace, causing a small explosion in the process. Jaune looked back at her amused face after doing that only to see that the fire had started. Her plan worked. It was careless but efficient.

Jaune sighed as Ruby raised her hands and hummed to herself after a job well done in her books. He smiled at her response before strolling back towards the couch and sitting once again. The fire was strong and the warm embrace was enough to help him relax as he leaned back on the soft cushion against his spine.

He could feel sleep coming soon. He needed to rest before they could form any kind of strategy and think of a way to meet up with their respective teams. His eyes weighed heavy as he began to shut them slowly, becoming more comfortable by the second.

"Hey, Jaune." Ruby stated, causing his eyes to open again before finding her.

"Yeah, Rubes?" He asked.

"I'm hungry." She replied with a smile.

Jaune sighed once more before he dropped his head downward, staring at his lap. "Of course you are." He replied, defeated.

Sleep would have to wait a little longer for now.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so ends chapter two. I tried my best to incorporate a fight scene so I hope that goes over well. I'm not confident in my writing, but I am definitely not confident in action sequences. I hope I at least provided a decent picture, followed by a cozy cabin scene at the end. I'm off to a slow start with this story and just kind of putting the pieces together. I know where I want to go; it's just forming the bridge to get there. Next time we'll see what some of the other characters are up to. Please let me know what you think and any suggestions or questions you might have. Thanks!
> 
> Next time: On the Move II
> 
> \- GodRealm


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